WHOOPS

Company That Helps Law Enforcement Track Phones Was Hacked

Law enforcement agencies from multiple states were affected by the Securus hack.

Securus, a service used to monitor inmate calls and also track civilians, has been hacked, according to Motherboard. The hacker reportedly provided the website with some of its data from Securus’ database, including “usernames and poorly secured passwords for thousands of Securus’ law enforcement customers.” The service can “easily track nearly any phone across the country,” according to the report. Numerous states and police departments were affected by the hack, including sheriff departments, local counties, and city law enforcement in Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Indianapolis. Securus advertises that it can “track mobile devices even when GPS is turned off” and provide call records with “call origination and call termination geo-location data”—all without a warrant.